The Wild Angels (1966)

The "Angels", a San Pedro motorcycle gang, parties in the Coachella Valley's Palm Springs Indian Canyons, California, and wreaks havoc with the local police.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Charles B. Griffith

Stars:

Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Fonda	...	Heavenly Blues
Nancy Sinatra	...	Mike 'Monkey'
Bruce Dern	...	Joe 'Loser' Kerns
Diane Ladd	...	Gaysh
Buck Taylor	...	Dear John
Norman Alden	...	Medic
Michael J. Pollard	...	Pigmy
Lou Procopio	...	Joint
Joan Shawlee	...	Momma Monahan
Marc Cavell	...	Frankenstein
Coby Denton	...	Bull Puckey
Frank Maxwell	...	Preacher
Gayle Hunnicutt	...	Suzie
Gina Grant
Art Baker	...	Thomas - Mortician

Storyline

Peter Fonda plays 'Heavenly Blues', the leader of the Angels, a motorcycle gang from San Pedro, California; Bruce Dern plays 'Loser', his best pal. When they both botch their attempt to retrieve Loser's stolen bike, Loser ends up in the hospital. When the Angels bust him out, he dies, and they bury him. Nancy Sinatra plays Mike, Blues' "old lady" and Diane Ladd plays Loser's wife (Dern's real-life wife at the time). The plot is basically a buildup to the last half-hour of the film in which Loser's funeral becomes another wild party.

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle | cult director | drive in classic | cult film | biker | 

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Taglines:

Bull... swinging a cycle chain in each hand and lusting for 'Action'

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug-related material

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was initially refused a UK cinema certificate in 1966 and eventually passed with cuts in 1972. Later video and DVD releases were fully uncut.

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Goofs

During the final party, Loser's corpse moves his arm towards his chest.

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Quotes

Joe 'Loser' Kerns: We gonna be ridin' outta here tomorrow.
Gaysh: How come?
Joe 'Loser' Kerns: How come? Cause we gonna get my chopper back.
Gaysh: Yeah?
Joe 'Loser' Kerns: How's that grab ya? Huh?
Gaysh: Yeah?
Joe 'Loser' Kerns: Yeah.

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Connections

Referenced in Derby (1970)

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Soundtracks

Rockin' Angel
Written by Mike Curb, Davie Allan and Harley Hatcher
Performed by Davie Allan and The Arrows

User Reviews

The Wild Ones

The begin is awesome: The little child and then in front of the camera the wheel of Peter Fonda's cycle. Uuaah, it was great for me when I saw this picture first in the age of sixteen or seventeen. This moment I wished to be a biker for the next twenty years. Later Corman's way of film-making didn't work so brilliant for this young shy boy in Bayreuth, Germany. Lot of the rest of this movie is cheesy trivial, and so I remembered today this wonderful scene of terror and an actor in his best form. I don't speak from Peter Fonda (he is only solid like Nancy Sinatra too), the guy is Bruce Dern, one of the most underrated actors of US-cinema. My rating is six of out ten stars, because this picture was with Dern and also created the new genre of motorcycle-films. Marlon Brando as the leading actor in "The Wild One" didn't have the influence for cinema, nor for the fifties or for the sixties like this - sorry - in the sum very, very average picture.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

All the Fallen Angels

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$360,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1